Un-Covering the Stories of
the Developing World
Chair
Introduction
Panellists
Paddy
NOTE Katherine Meenan’s presentation is available online
Part I Panellist’s remarks
o do NGOs always need the publicity? -- it may only be a distraction that takes away from their work.
o given the (unprofessional) approach of NGOs to the media, they get a disproportionate amount of coverage. If they were treated professionally, they would get far less coverage.
o when journalists do a story on an NGO, they normally start from a sympathetic position; this would not be true if they were covering a company's annual general meeting.
o there is a tension between the media and NGOs because NGOs are promoting and advertising their work. As a media outlet, you don't want to cross the line to advocacy; separate fact from advocacy.
o media is full of good development coverage and human stories. The idea that the media is not supportive is wrong.
o a story should be relevant, newsworthy and approached laterally.
o stories get coverage rather than issues. There is a demand for positive stories that are new, rather than about a person's favourite charity. A story has to be made attractive. It is necessary to get beyond, for example, how important the well is to the local people.
o
often those being reported get
voiced over, or ignored even if they are available. The Channel 4, Dispatches
documentary, 'How to Get Ahead in
o
on TV, image is everything.
People don't always listen but they watch the pictures. For example, images of
wealthy African suburbs may make an impression on the viewer because it's not
their usual image of
o the job of the journalist is to write for an audience but they could be better at understanding their audience. The audience is segmented. Every article is targeted at a minority. There is a demand for development stories but perhaps it is not always served.
o due to budget constraints, journalists accept travel assistance; there is an inconsistency given the commitment to separate fact from advocacy
o NGOs need to provide more information to the media. Spending on communications is low because NGOs want to minimise any spending domestically.
o some ideas for getting the media interested: Irish interest; return to a disaster scene six months later -- from disaster to development; returned volunteers can be interviewed.
o “Be careful what you wish for!” NGOs might get lots of coverage, which would have its own implications for what they do.
Part II Discussion
o NGOs have a responsibility to mature. We are trying to move beyond the notion that the most important thing is that the agency is written up. We may understand that its about the story not the issue but still find it hard to think that way.
o the government spends a lot on development; media outlets should expand their resources proportionately.
o the focus on the white middle-class is a terrible indictment. There should be more stories about people's lives not just what's happening in their countries; another view was that involving an Irish person in a story is legitimate because it engages the audience.
o media organisations will take material given to them for free such as broadcast quality video. It is then presented as if it were independent media coverage. They shouldn't accept such material.
o do journalists understand the pressure as NGOs are under? There is internal pressure within agencies to get logos covered, etc. Yet, NGOs get credibility from stepping back.
o are press officers involved in senior management? Are they in the loop when it comes to decision making? Marketing is. It is feted because it is seen as a revenue source but press officers are seen as a cost. Often POs don't know that thinking of management or all of what is happening.
o transparency is welcome, particularly more awareness among the public as to how much development costs. NGOs have a tendency to simplify development, making it seem easier than it is.
o often NGOs are on the ground and have access that the media would love.
o there is no need to see NGOs as having a strong agenda. NGOs want branding but that's a legitimate concern.
o but a distinction has to be made between advertising and news. No matter how honest an NGO employee is, it is tainted. Even if you say who wrote an article, it is tainted for the audience.
o
o the media likes working with Irish Aid or NGOs because they have expertise, although there is a concern about their agendas. Sometimes journalists make ad hoc visits to NGOs when they are in a country (without receiving funding).
o Journalist tourism is a real problem. There is a tendency to throw people into a situation. It is necessary to build up more expertise among journalists.
How Good is the Coverage of
Global Development?
Chair
Presentation
Research presented
by
Panellists
NOTE The report is available online
o The Report on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) was only in the news for one day, re-iterating the point made in the morning session that while a story may be the most important development issue for the development community, it is only one of many important stories for journalists in any one day.
o The interpretation of GBV in the media was narrow, not taking into account the experience of men, boys and child soldiers, for instance.
o The Irish Aid White Paper had a brief life in most papers, although an extended one in The Irish Times. The Irish Times and RTE were found to be more likely to delve into the issues, background and context of the story.
o
Irish Development Aid was
presented not as a benefit for developing nations but as a status symbol for
o
There was debate about the
benefits and pitfalls of using celebrities and public figures to promote
campaigns and issues. While some celebrities may overshadow the issues they
often garner publicity that the campaign/organisation alone wouldn’t have. But,
a serious public figure like
o Reports such as the White Paper might be less in the news but may have coverage in features and opinion pieces.
o It would be interesting to know what criteria the media use when deciding what will be of interest to the public.
o Development Education, the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund and other initiatives such as the Irish Aid volunteer centre are useful vehicles to build up an understanding of and educate about the context of development issues. This may have less quick wins but will build up to more meaningful, longer-term coverage.
o The media were found to rely too much on press releases and take the easy way of covering the issues in the two case studies. However, NGOs in turn need to recognise they need to more to educate the media & encourage analysis.
o Press releases could perhaps be more informative, with information presented in a way that is more digestible.
o Maybe it is how events – such as report-launches – are presented that determines how much coverage they get.
o The GBV Consortium used a PR company, but for the particular event rather than for their report or to publicise their work in general.
o Sometimes news items may not appear on the same day, but they may appear later or else as background to a feature or opinion piece, although this is more difficult to track.
o Events such as breakfast briefings on a particular issue may not lead directly to coverage on the day but may inform a journalists’ future research or encourage a journalist to develop an interest in an area – difficult to quantify but worthwhile.
o There are discrepancies between the Dochas Code of Conduct on the Use of Images and Messages (http://www.dochas.ie/documents/Images_and_Messages.pdf) and the NUJ Code of Conduct (http://www.nuj.org.uk/inner.php?docid=59 ). Journalists are bound by the NUJ Code of Conduct and it would be interesting for NGOs to have a look at this to understand what constraints journalists are working under and the need to uncover the truth and educate people. Also, the Dochas Code of Conduct causes problems for the GBV Consortium in that it is not always possible for them to identify people in their pictures. The Dochas Code of Conduct is a living document that is meant to be challenged.
o Irish Aid features in 130 articles this year – 5 related to gender, 6 related to education, 7 to the environment, 45 to NGOs, 10 to the Hunger Task Force and 15 to the Rapid Response Initiative.
o NGOs should identify journalists that have an interest in this area and directly target them and make contact with them, rather than just sending a press release to everyone or holding a press conference and inviting everyone along. Connect-World would have a role in this.
o NGOs should not rely on traditional PR and measuring the success of that through the instant gratification of column inches, they should become a resource for journalists, providing a range of stories and ideas for stories, then journalists will come to them. Although the benefits of this may be difficult to quantify to the person who holds the purse strings.
o Connect-World administers the Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund for Irish Aid, and at the workshop, attended by 70 media people were 2 representatives from NGOs, using the opportunity they have to give the media an angle if they want to write a story. The Fund aims to add value to stories about international development that may not otherwise get told. Also, Irish Aid encourages politicians, journalists and members of the Oireachtas to go into the field and visit partner countries.
o Better use could be made of websites as a way of directly communicating with the public. Some NGOs make good use of this tool, but some websites are very process-driven and more interesting to those already inside the organisation than the general public or media.
o As for a critical perspective on development, most people agree international development is a good thing, but there is a lack of debate on aspects of development – for instance the risk of dependency. The Foreign Affairs Development sub-committee is small and has limited resources so does not have the capacity to provide much scrutiny.
o Advocacy and communication are two sides of the same coin and cannot be separated.
o The analysis of the reports misses the perspective of the media consumer – this needs to be part of the equation.
o The best way of reaching the general public is through the use of case studies – these can be difficult to get but are the best way of telling development stories. Journalists want stories not issues. Can journalists be expected to put together case studies during the course of an afternoon if they have not been provided for them?
o Unless issues are controversial they won’t generate debate. For instance, the decision to postpone meeting the 0.7% commitment of GDP to development aid generated public controversy that took both politicians and NGOs by surprise.
o Dochas is comprised of 37 organisations with a combined total of 1,000,000 supporters, so there is a definite appetite for international development among the public.
o NGOs develop long-term relationships with politicians and donors so why not with journalists and media organisations.
o NGOs often feel bad about diverting money to communications from campaigning.
o How press releases are structured often determine the message, so press officers need to be mindful what message they are trying to convey when they are writing a press release.
o NGOs need the skills journalists have to get past the statistics and issues and go to the heart of a story. They don’t think like journalists and need to devise the best way of merging journalists and NGOs.
o
There is a
distinction between news pieces and features. Maybe people are expecting too
much from news pieces.
o
Briefings
are a very good way of communicating. Presenting as a consortium gets away from
flag flying.
o
There is a
huge financial story in aid. It should be covered by business journalists.
o
Aid
agencies and perhaps the media underestimate the appetite for stories.
o
Media
communications has to be located within a broader communications strategy